Beyond Adolescence - part 2

[SpanielsGalore]

No point banning coffee, as it didn't work last time. 🙄
Haven't had any cake updates from a while. @VanGoSunflowers Have you stopped baking already? You still had 8 cakes to go to make it economical.

I do hope it's just a case of old age catching up with Hen and nothing more @TheHungryHungryLandsharks , particularly with your Christmas holiday approaching.

We're vegetarian but even we have gravy on our roasted veg, albeit a veggie gravy made with a Kallo French onion stock cube.

I'm sure my cooking is substandard @SpanielsGalore , but my partner is a lot more tolerant than my dad was. Hmm, oddly, my dad was a salad cream addict and even used to put it on chips, which the rest of us found a bit weird.

I'm going to get my arse kicked on that soup thread @VanGoSunflowers because one of them made the usual "competitive undereating" comment that mn is known for, and it makes me see red. I'm also a little and often eater with a healthy BMI but I do find mn is very biased against slender people and far more sympathetic towards the overweight. Nobody is ever more hated on mumsnet than a size 10 who has never dieted.

Well, a miracle has happened here and we have a dry morning, so we might finally manage more than one walk in a day!

@VanGoSunflowers P is on 11 supplements. I think 2 are for joint support, which she definitely needs to be on. The rest are to try to settle her system and reduce gut inflammation. The nutritionist sent me links to everything and I clicked and bought. 🙈 I do trust her and know several people who have had consults with her. I've even seen her recommended on MN. 😂
I think I was just naive as to how long everything would take. As you say, it can take months whereas I was expecting miracles in a couple of weeks.
Two of the supplements are carrot powder and apple powder. Those together cost £28 and have lasted for 22 days. I spent around £240 initially. Some of the products will last a while. But 3 have run out already and 2 are nearly used up.
I need to just be a grown up and ask how long term everything will be. A couple of months, I can drain what's left of my savings for. But a lifetime just isn't sustainable. I've even considered getting a job. 😱😱 But that's not as easy as it sounds, and what do I do with the three dogs?
But looking on the bright side, at least I'm not married to a prick anymore. 😂

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks I hope Hen gets on OK at the vets. Not sure whether I hope they find something wrong or not. I don't wish her to be ill, but if she is then it can be cured. Rather than old age, which is just sad.

It is indeed why he is an ex. It's funny what tips you over the edge. Being called a fat c*nt I could take, but no one insults my culinary skills. 😤 😂

I hope you have a good last day at work. At least your DH will have a peaceful journey to Norfolk and not have to put up with TD's whining.

@tizwozliz Good the insurance has paid up. My tree still isn't up. I really cba.

WTF has just happened? My posts have turned salmon pink instead of blue. Has there been another MN update?

There has been some sort of update as my posts and the op posts now have different backgrounds colours. Can't comment on colours themselves as I'm in dark mode

I've just posted about it @SpanielsGalore . As a migraine sufferer I can't cope with sickly salmon pink and baby blue. It's a nightmare for my eyes. If it's a permanent thing I'll be deleting my account.

@CoubousAndTourmaIet I'm now back to blue. How odd.

Oh, thank goodness, I'm back to green and purple! That cat vomit salmon colour is unbearable to look at.
I expect they've paid thousands to a team of 12 year old boys to come up with a redesign and those icky new pastels. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. It didn't do much for Ravelry, people left in their droves when they changed from green to pink.

Is your big pup related to my big pup? They look very similar?

Well, a two walk day makes a nice change. First walk was very quiet, we had the whole big field to ourselves. She's currently lying outside. A dry day seems to make such a big difference to her.

Who knows? My two are related (half sisters) but I think look quite different. Big one has quite a lot of drakeshead in her lines.

… off to Google Drakeshead.

DMum said the Vet couldn’t find anything obviously wrong with her. He thinks it’s old age as well. So nothing to be done. She’s still eating, walking…just quiet and sleepy.

I decided to escape work early so I flew out the office at 4. Home for sausages and mash (but no gravy @SpanielsGalore) and a nice evening dog walk and an evening of peace whilst DDs do their sports.

@CoubousAndTourmaIet what about gravy on sausages (veggie ones for you) and mash? I think it makes the mash soggier and it’s already a mushy enough meal…

DH knows better than to criticise my food. Or anything I do. Pretty sure I could do just about anything and he’d still think I was great. 😀But that’s possibly just because the poor man is so beaten down by years of marriage that he just nods along with anything I say and caves into my requests just so he has some peace.

I suppose good news about Hen insofar as they couldn't find anything significantly wrong, but sad that old age is catching up with her @TheHungryHungryLandsharks . I suppose it's very much just about keeping her happy now.

We'd only have gravy with roasted veg, not with mash. But yes, we do veggie sausages, sage &onion stuffing, roast potato, parsnip, carrot and sprouts, onion gravy 😋
We generally put sweet potato, broccoli & cheese in our mash and have it with something tomatoey.

We went down to the wood for our second walk. Funny dog this one, she likes a good mooch and a sniff but is never in a hurry. We have to sedately walk around puddles or patches of mud.
She is getting so much better with the road walking - I had her on a narrow bit of pavement and the school bus went past, going our way. I used to dread meeting the bus because she'd panic and pull backwards, but now she just calmly carries on walking. Same thing with a rattly trailer today; no negative response at all. So we've definitely got through that secondary fear/noise anxiety issue, which is a great relief to me particularly.

Looks like we'll be back to rain tomorrow but at least we've made the most of a dry day by doing two walks.

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks Glad Hen is alright. It sucks to get old though.

That's a coincidence. I had sausage rolls and mash for dinner. With ketchup. 😁

Definitely sucks to get old, I had to order my first pair of varifocals yesterday 😢

@tizwozliz may I ask you about mantrailing please? Mainly what is it and how do you get in to it and what sort of age is best to start please?

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks I am glad they couldn’t find anything obviously wrong with her. Is she generally in good health otherwise? Happy you don’t have to go to London now for a while!

@CoubousAndTourmaIet I tend to agree - on the odd weight thread I have read they don’t seem to like people who are on the slender side. I must admit I couldn’t give a toss what size anyone is and wish people would love themselves enough to not care one way or the other. I blame the patriarchy 😂

@SpanielsGalore oooh nooo don’t get a job! They’re totally overrated 😂 may I ask, what are her symptoms of the gut inflammation and what did the nutritionist say would be the benefits of taking those particular supplements? Are they branded and are there cheaper versions available I wonder? I’m sorry if I am overstepping, you’ve probably thought about all of this already and you’re already talking to an expert whereas I know sod all 🤦‍♀️

Ahem, to wade in on the sausage and mash topic - I am of the opinion that gravy makes that meal what it is. A comforting classic. I couldn’t eat mash without gravy!

@VanGoSunflowers - mantrailing is getting dogs to take scent from an item/object and then follow that scent to find a person.

Most mantrailing instructors do an introductory session and then from there you can just book onto follow on sessions. As everyone works independently, it doesn't matter what skill level you're at. It's all done on trailing line so no worries about recall.

Can start from any age, little pup did her first session at about 14 weeks. The scent tracking is something that comes very naturally so it's really just about getting your dog to realise that that's what they should be doing.

Have shared this before, but I just love how wiggly she was

www.instagram.com/reel/CvDFbHbt0T2/?igsh=MXNwNm1wNmJ5ZTRsaA==

I must admit, it wasn't until we did my older ones first split trail (two people go out and then separate and dog has to follow the correct scent) that I really believed pup was doing anything more than following the path.

Thank you @tizwozliz that looks like great fun! I will have a look to see if there are any classes near me. I think Pablo would love it!

I might see if I can find some videos on starting some basic scent work at home as well. He knows ‘find it’ and uses his nose when I give him that command but have only ever done it with food so far.

@VanGoSunflowers - have sent you some suggestions via dm (if I've remembered where you're based correctly!)

@SpanielsGalore it really does. It’s the one thing I can’t fix. But we had lovely cuddles last night and a solo walk this morning - DMum is going to bravely take out the rest of the adults later as DDs have walked Eris on their walk to school.

Oh I love a sausage roll! My pre Christmas diet (to fit into my dress) is not going well. I had one very healthy day and then this morning had coffee and walnut cake for breakfast…and now I want a sausage roll 😩

@CoubousAndTourmaIet your veggie sausage meal sounds amazing. I’m rather jealous.

Really does sound like Brie is growing up. It really is so much slower for the larger dogs, isn’t it? I may sound nutty, but I do also think it takes bigger dogs longer to trust as well - trust in us I mean - and that’s possibly because of their slower development.

@VanGoSunflowers completely healthy! No arthritis, no dysplasia, eyesight good, no ear infections, hearts strong etc. She’s just an old girl.

The big benefit of working from home, is that no one can hear you say ‘oh fuck off’ when a stupid/irritating email comes in. 😁That and dog cuddles

I was going to wax lyrical about our lovely walk in the wood. Not a soul around. Dog harnessing his inner Puff (the magic dragon) and frolicking in the undergrowth. Got a lovely picture.

Then he found a stick on the way home…

The man trailing sounds great fun.

Thank you @tizwozliz, much appreciated!

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks ah thats so lovely to hear, a very healthy girl ❤️ how old is she? Sorry if you have already said it and I missed it.

I have hilarious scenes working from home. There is definitely a lot of me telling emails to fuck off 😂 I follow this lady on Instagram who has a black lab and hers climbs up on to her lap at regular intervals while she is trying to work, Pablo does the same. He knows when it’s time for a cuddle! I will try and find a link to a video to show you what I mean.

@Silverbirchleaf looks like he was in his element! Such a handsome boy ❤️

@Silverbirchleaf that looks like one very happy dog!❤

@VanGoSunflowers she's 13.5, so definitely not a spring chicken anymore. She was the puppy I had just before DD1 was born!

I'm glad it's not just me telling the emails to piss off 😂

Has Pablo begun to learn yet that there are certain 'places' that he shouldn't bother you when you're there? I ended up having to teach Twatdog that he can pester me all he likes anywhere in the house, but if I am sat at my desk it's a no and so he must make his own entertainment. Which is probably why he likes to pop up behind me whilst I'm on Team's meetings - he doesn't really do anything, but he'll walk backward and forward behind me with his tail held high and waggling back and forth. I think he's trying to make a point

I forgot it was Drontal day in the house. So now I will have fun at lunch trying to convince the dogs to eat their food...which they won't do now until tomorrow morning. They flat out refuse their Drontal tablets, and if it's on their food refuse their food - at least until they cave in and realise I will starve them rather than let them go without their wormer...

My lab never got the sit-on-lap memo. He will snuggle against you, and occasionally rests his head on your lab, but nothing more. His idea of a cuddle is resting his paw over you.

I found a video - it’s a bit like this:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQuBIuqjBoh/?igsh=MWhpOGtnenl0YzhqMQ==